Growing Up
by WoNdY Alice
Summary: Haou has always dreamed of having a loving family. Instead he has an abusive father and a mother that uses him for her own pleasure. As he grows up with Jehu, he starts to become suspicious of what really goes on at Haou's house. Warning mature themes
1. Meeting

Kyle: Here's a new story that I couldn't resist making.

Emily: I hope you all enjoy it.

Kyle: Anyway, here you go. It's pure darkspiritshipping.

Emily: And it's about growing up.

Kyle: I'm going to update Power Beyond Belief soon.

**Meeting**

Six year old Haou watched closely as his parents began to bicker once again. He flinched when his mother grabbed a vase and slammed it onto the ground. His father growled and began to scream at her. Haou flinched as his father's fist landed on his mother's cheek. He grew used to this ever since he turned three. His father always hit his mom when he grew angry. After that his mother would go out somewhere and come back. She would smell funny though, and she would be acting funny. She would stagger and after an hour or so she would collapse onto the floor. Haou had no clue exactly what she had been doing, but he knew that he would never go near what made her like that.

Haou sighed and walked away from the room; he could still hear the sounds of pain from his mother as his father continued to beat her. He bit his lip and stopped at the doorway to his room. Screams of pain echoed the hallways and slammed into his ears. He sighed once more and entered his small room. He sat on his bed which had wooden drawers attached to it underneath. It was a twin sized bed. He glanced around at the room and sighed. He wondered when his mother would stop screaming.

"I hate this," he mumbled. He stared at the window that let in the only light in his room since his parents always "forgot" to buy him a new light bulb. He knew that they couldn't afford it though. Ever since his father started gambling, they have always been tight on money. Haou quickly grabbed his jacket and walked towards the window. He wouldn't run away because he knew exactly what would happen if he did. He just wanted to go out for a bit and maybe breathe in the fresh air.

With that thought in mind, Haou opened up the window and hopped through. Since his house only had one floor, he easily landed on the ground. He smirked when he saw he avoided the bushes and small trees. He crouched down so his parents couldn't see him. Once he found himself across the street, he began to sprint away from the house. He had no clue where to go only that it would be far from his house. He couldn't stand seeing his father hit his mother one more time.

He began to pant as he finally stopped running. _I've run far enough, _he thought. He blinked and glanced over to the side. _A playground,_ he thought. He slowly walked over and glanced around. A sandbox sat on the side of the playground along with swings. A jungle gym at the side of the park with monkey bars, a slide, and other basic jungle gym equipment. Haou sighed and slowly began to drag his feet towards the playground sandbox. He collapsed into the sand and ignored the sand sneaking into his shirt and pants. He just needed to lie down after that long run. He wondered how long he had run.

_Not far, _Haou thought. He had just turned six a while ago, so he couldn't run that far that fast. His short legs couldn't possibly take him that far. He may have been a six year old, but he was certainly not dumb.

"Are you dead?" a voice asked. Haou picked up his head and his golden eyes met with orange. The eyes held curiosity and humor but no concern or worry which made Haou scoff. _Just another stupid kid, _Haou thought bitterly.

"No," Haou answered with a blank tone. "I'm not."

"I thought you were," the kid smiled. He blinked then gazed around the park. Only two children were there along with two adults. Haou slowly stood up and shivered a bit when the sand in his clothing shifted against his skin. He wasn't used to the strange sensation.

The boy stuck his hand out, "I'm Jehu."

"Haou." Haou told him blankly. His eyes held no emotion and no care. He just wanted to spend some time alone with his thoughts. He never asked for a "playmate" to stalk him. He just wanted to be alone and away from all the screaming in his household.

"Where are your mommy and daddy?" Jehu asked curiously. Haou glanced down at the ground with a dark expression.

"Nowhere," he mumbled.

Jehu nodded, "Alright then. I guess your parents just don't care."

Haou flinched, "I know."

"My parents care about me though," Jehu smiled proudly. "They are always taking care of me."

"My dad just hits my mom," Haou mumbled.

Jehu blinked, "Why?"

Haou shrugged, "I don't know."

Jehu nodded and smiled brightly. He grabbed onto Haou's hand making Haou flinch a bit. Jehu then began to drag him towards the monkey bars.

"I can hang on these backwards," Jehu smiled. Haou blinked and watched as Jehu climbed up on the monkey bars and began to hang upside down. Haou watched with wide eyes as his parents both stood up and ran towards him. They demanded him to come down which he obeyed after a bit of pretesting.

"You could have fallen and cracked your head wide open," his mother hugged him. Jehu nodded and rolled his eyes while Haou stared with his mouth hanging open. His father began to scold him for his stupid behavior. Tears came to Haou's eyes as he stared at the caring family before him. He finally realized how small he actually was. He needed his parents and depended on them. He couldn't just be on his own. _I need their love, _Haou thought.

"What's wrong?" his mother asked him.

Haou just stared at her with wide eyes when he realized the concern in her eyes. He shook his head, "Nothing."

"He says his daddy hits his mommy," Jehu claimed pointing at Haou. His parent's eyes widened as they stared at Haou.

"N-no," Haou faked a laugh while rubbing the back of his neck. A feeling in his stomach told him that telling them about his problems at home would get him in big trouble.

Jehu blinked, "B-but you told me…"

"I lied," Haou lied. Jehu's mother opened her mouth to say something, but Haou knew that would be a bad idea to listen to them. Without another word, he began to sprint away from the playground.

"Come back tomorrow, okay?" Jehu called out. Haou didn't bother to nod. All he did was sprint away from the caring family. _Jealousy_, Haou thought. He knew that he felt that towards the peaceful family. He wanted his family to be just like that. Instead of his father hitting his mother, instead of his parents screaming, instead of his mother smelling and acting funny, he just wanted them to be a happy, caring family like those three.

He panted as he made it back to his house. He crouched down and slowly went to his window. He slowly pulled it open and crawled inside of it. Once he landed on the wooden floor, he quickly closed the window and sighed in relief.

"Where have you been?" a voice asked. Haou jumped and turned around to see his father standing there with blazing eyes. His fists were clenched and his expression held anger.

"O-out…" Haou whispered. "You guys were fighting, and I didn't want to-"

He felt the punch before he even saw the fist. His body went flying back against the wall as he cried out in pain. His father growled as he slowly walked up to him and violently grabbed his hair pulling him upwards. Haou cried in pain as his father held him by the hair. He held Haou up, so they were both eye to eye. Tears flooded in Haou's golden eyes as pure hatred was shown in his father's eyes.

"You little slut," he growled. "How dare you go away without my permission? Damn you."

Without another word, his father threw him against the wall. Haou gasped but it could not be heard with the giant bang from when his back connected to the wall behind him. He slid down to his bed as he held his sore head in pain. His father walked out of the room, and his mother walked right in with a frown.

"M-mama…" Haou whispered. His mother's eyes softened as she stared at her vulnerable son. She slowly couched down and held him in her lap. He began to sob onto her legs as she rubbed his sore head.

"Haou," she whispered softly.

Haou stared at her with the same golden eyes as his father, "Do you love me?"

His mother flinched at the eyes that seemed so much like her husbands. The man that beat her gave his eyes to his son. She remembered when they first met in high school. They had been a lovely couple with no problems until her teenage pregnancy. She missed the times when he used to touch her instead of hit her. She smiled softly at the memories. Her husband used to be so good to her. She glanced down at her golden eyed son when an idea slowly popped into her head.

"Sweetie," she whispered. "I'll love you if you do one thing for Mommy."

"W-what?" Haou choked on a sob, cursing himself for being so weak. He couldn't help it though since he was a little kid. His mother smiled as she began to slowly rip off her shirt exposing her bra. Haou's eyes widened as he blushed and looked away. His mother shook her head and grabbed onto his chin, forcing him to look directly at her. Haou's face began to deepen in color as she threw off her own bra.

"See right here?" his mother pointed her breast. "Remember when you were a baby? You used to suck on these. I miss that, so I want you to suck on them again."

Haou's eyes widened, "B-but that's for babies!"

His mother narrowed her eyes, "Don't you want Mommy to love you? Suck now."

Haou clenched his fists as more tears came to his eyes. He slowly placed his lips around his mother's nipple and began to suck.

"Lick," his mother moaned, and Haou did as he was commanded. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he continued. His mother placed her hands onto his and began to make them move around her stomach. _Such cold hands… just like his fathers, _her mother thought with a moan. Haou slowly let go and hopped off of his mother's lap, no longer comfortable with sitting on it.

"Amazing," his mother whispered. She placed on her bra and shirt as she kissed her son's lips. Haou gasped and her tongue dove into his mouth as it roamed it. Haou nearly gagged at the long tongue entering his mouth. When his mother pull away, a string of salvia connected them.

"Mommy loves you now," she whispered before exiting the room. Haou shut his eyes tightly until he heard footsteps coming towards his room. His father stood there with a smirk on his face.

"I saw that," he spoke. "Every bit of it, you whore. If you are going to pleasure your mom, you're pleasuring your dad too. Goodnight, whore."

With that, his father exited the room as tears spilled down Haou's cheeks. He remembered the kid from the park. _What's his name? Jehu…_ he thought. Maybe he could go there and see him. It would be the only escape from this Hell. Haou nodded and silently agreed to himself to see the boy again tomorrow. Maybe his family would become like his own, and Haou would experience a true family.

* * *

><p>Kyle: Hope you liked it hated Haou's parents.

Emily: This will be an extremely serious fanfic so there are going to be a lot of warnings.

Kyle: First warning, child abuse. Second warning, child molestation.

Emily: If you don't like things like that, please don't read this.

Kyle: Please review.


	2. Distribute

Kyle: Here is the next chapter.

Emily: Warning there is a slight hint of prostitution and rape in this story as well.

Kyle: Here you go.

**Distribute**

One Year Later

"And that's why… Haou? Haou? Are you listening?" the seven year old Jehu pouted. After meeting at the park, Haou kept returning there after his parents began to argue. He knew that trouble awaited his home when he returned, but he needed a friend to talk to. His mother continued to make him touch her. He shivered at the mere memory of his own mother moaning at the mere touch of his hands. His father, on the other hand, replaced his mother with him as a beating tool.

"Huh?" Haou blinked. "N-no… sorry."

"How did you get that?" Jehu asked, pointing to the bruise that formed on Haou's cheek. Haou glared and crossed his arms. After around a minute or two, Jehu just giggled at the angry Haou who still refused to give him a single answer. Jehu never minded that his friend always showed up with torn up clothes and bruises. He thought nothing of it. His parents, on the other hand, kept asking Haou questions about his parents. Jehu never really understood why though. Haou's parents probably showered him with kisses and hugs. Too bad for Haou, they did shower him with kisses and hugs, but not the type Jehu thought of.

"Haou-chan," a voice called out. Haou glanced over to see a woman coming over with Jehu's parents. Haou titled his head to the side, exposing some red marks and bruises shaped like finger prints. Jehu once again thought nothing of it though. He knew that parents always loved their children and always treated them with love and respect.

"Who are you?" Haou narrowed his eyes at the woman.

The woman giggled, "Haou-chan, no need to be rude. I am just going to ask you a couple questions, alright?"

"Fine," Haou glared. He quickly grabbed ahold of Jehu's hand and squeezed it. Jehu blinked in confusion. Haou never let Jehu touch him, and he always flinched when he did. What about this woman made Haou want to do that? Jehu glared at the woman as well.

"Do you get along well with your parents?" she asked curiously.

"Yes." Haou answered.

She nodded, "Do they ever hit you?"

"No." Haou answered again with the same blank expression.

"Are you lying to me?"

"Why would I?"

"Very funny."

"You have a bad sense of humor, lady."

She continued to ask him multiple questions about his parents, his bruises, and his friendships. Haou answered most of them with honesty except for certain ones regarding his parents and bruises. He lied about the love and care they showered him with. He lied about how he fell down the stairs. He lied about almost everything regarding his parents. Sadness flooded through him when the woman claimed that he should be telling the truth about his parents. He soon realized that his parent's behavior towards him was not allowed. He still felt that ratting out his own parents would be wrong.

"Goodbye then," she smiled before walking away. Haou sighed and let go of the confused Jehu's hand.

Jehu smiled brightly, "You actually held my hand!"

Haou glanced over at Jehu's parents, who both held the expressions of disappointment. Haou narrowed his eyes at them before crossing his arms. He knew very well what they had been planning to do. They wanted him to confess everything about his parents. He knew if he did, he would be separated from his parents. He still loved them regardless of what they did to him. He just questioned some of the things they did. His father even made him suck on his private part for no reason. He never minded when they hit him though because it felt better than when they made him touch them.

"So?" Haou glared. "It's just because I didn't like that woman."

Jehu smiled brightly, "You still did it, Haou-chan!"

"Don't use the chan," Haou growled. Jehu giggled while his parents watched in pure sadness.

"Honey… he has another bruise on his cheek," Jehu's mother, Yuki, whispered.

"I know," Takashi, Jehu's father, whispered back.

* * *

><p>"You bitch!" his father screamed as his fist slammed into the cheek of Haou. He flew back and hit the wall, sliding to the ground. He knew better than to actually stand up though. If he did, he would receive a worse punishment. He had not wanted that at all. He just curled up into a ball as his father continued to kick him senselessly. Haou let out a small cry in pain, but thankfully his father couldn't hear it over the screams of Haou's mother.<p>

"He's going to die!" she screamed. "Stop it!"

His father growled and turned around, slapping Haou's mother in the face. Haou gasped as his mother stood up straight and tall.

"Don't you dare hit me," she growled. "I've finally realized something… I don't love you anymore. My love was the only reason I stayed but now… I don't want to. I'm leaving… and I don't want you ever, ever to see me or my son again."

"Your son!" he screamed. "He's my son as well!"

"Not when you use him as a punching bag!" his mother screamed at the top of her lungs.

He screamed back, "Not when you use him as a sex toy!"

Her mother took a step back with wide, horrified eyes. Her mouth dropped open and began to quiver. Her whole body slowly began to tremble as she glanced over at her son, who stared at them both with fearful eyes.

_That's what I've been doing… to my own son… for a full year…_ the thought slowly processed in her mind. She walked over and grabbed Haou's arm fiercely. She turned to glare at her husband who growled.

"Don't… ever… touch… my son again," she growled before yanking Haou out of the house. Haou glanced back at his growling father, but that's when he realized something. His father wouldn't move. He just stood there with an angry expression. _He won't put up a fight for me…_ Haou thought bitterly.

"Mama…" Haou whispered bitterly just as his mother pulled him out of the door. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you far away from this place." His mother whispered with venom. Haou slowly nodded as he hopped into the red van as his mother drove off. He bit his lip and turned back to his house and froze. His father still stood at the doorway, glaring at them. Haou shivered at the glare, yet he couldn't take his eyes away from it. He knew deep inside of him that one glare would haunt him for the rest of his life. He would never forget anything… he would always be dragged down by the burden of his childhood.

"Jehu…" Haou whispered softly. His one and only true friend. Never before had he admitted it, but he always trusted Jehu. He even considered telling him what really happened at his house.

"We are going to stay at my parent's for a little while," his mother spoke up. "Grandma and Grandpa will be happy to see us."

"Y-yeah…" Haou stammered a bit.

His mother sighed, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Giving birth to you and making you go through this Hell," she whispered.

Haou's eyes widened as his mother told him that. She… was sorry that she gave birth to him? Sadness flooded his body as the glare of his father flashed into his mind. He pulled up his knees and hugged them tightly. Then he did the one thing he hadn't done in a long time.

He cried.

* * *

><p>Kyle: Hope you like it.<p>

Emily: Please review.

Kyle: Next time: Haou discovers what makes his mother act weird.


	3. Drink

Kyle: Here is the new chapter.

Emily: This will have incest and implied… um… rape I guess.

Kyle: Warning: very, very sad.

Emily: And under aged drinking.

**Drink**

6 years later

"Haou," his grandmother complained. "You need to learn more about math. Try again with the equation. You have to solve for y."

"What about x though?" Haou questioned. He just recently turned thirteen and his grandparents because harsher on him during his studies. His mother decided that instead of sending him off to school, it would be better if he was homeschooled. Since his grandparents used to be teachers, they decided to teach him.

"It's y equals mx plus b," she argued. "You don't need to solve for x. It's all about the slope that matters."

Haou slowly nodded as he stared at the equation with confusion. He hated math as much as he hated science. They both confused him, and he knew he would never use them when he grew up. He always wondered what type of person he would be when he grew up. He glanced at his mother who stood behind him with a cigarette. His grandmother sent a soft glare at his mother since she wanted her to quit smoking in the house.

Haou just sighed as he placed his hand on his cheek. When his mother asked how much he remembered as a child, he would lie and claim that he had a wonderful childhood. The memories of his father beating him and his mother making him touch her. He shuddered at the memories of his childhood, but he tried to pretend they never happened. He tried to pretend he dreamed them all, but his father's glare and his mother's words still rang in his head like little bells.

It's not like he enjoyed the memories. He just couldn't help having nightmares about what happened in his past. He wondered how he survived with all of the beatings.

"Jehu…" he whispered softly. That's how he survived. By having one friend who smiled with him, laughed with him, and cried with him, he was able to make it through that living Hell. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of his old friend. He hasn't seen him since he turned seven. He missed the blue haired boy, and he missed everything about having a friend. Now he was too terrified to even leave the building in case of his father roaming around. He couldn't even remember the last time he went outside. It explained his deadly pale skin color though.

"Haou…" his grandfather whispered confused. Haou never smiled. Ever. The last time he smiled was when he actually arrived at the house and that was years ago. Since then, he never smiled. He wondered what happened that would make the boy so sad. When he asked his daughter, she just flushed and claimed that his father just insulted him all the time, and that's why she left. He knew that something else happened though.

After all, why else would Haou scream in his sleep every night?

* * *

><p>Haou sighed as he walked downstairs. His grandmother told him to grab something down there, but he wasn't sure where he would find it. He sighed until he blinked at the glass case. Bottles were held up in that case; he recognized those bottles from somewhere.<p>

"That's right," Haou whispered. His mother always had those bottles with her, and they made her act all funny. He remembered how strange she acted as she giggled and swayed around the room. After a while, she would just collapse. She hasn't done that as much, but she has only when her parents were out. Haou hid when she acted like that.

Can those make me happy, he wondered. Maybe those bottles could be a replacement for Jehu. Instead of the boy making him happy, this drink could make him happy. He slowly reached out his hand and grasped the knob for the door. With a deep breath, he pulled it open. He slowly grabbed the bottle with a shaking hand. He brought it to himself and grabbed the top and yanked it off.

"Here's to a new life of happiness," he whispered to himself before bringing the bottle to his lips. He slowly took a quick sip before gagging. He nearly dropped the bottle because the taste. He took in a deep breath and took another sip. He gulped it down sip by sip before he took the bottle away as he panted. He brought the bottle to his lips once again and took a big sip.

"Haou," a voice called out. Haou turned to see his grandmother walking down the stairs with an annoyed expression. "What's taking you so long?"

The moment those words left her lips, she witnessed something she never thought she would see in her life. Her grandson with a bottle in his hands with a confused expression. The bottle was wide open, and she doubted that he didn't take a couple sips out of it. A scowl came to her face as she opened her mouth.

"WHAT IN THE LORD'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" she screamed. Haou flinched at the anger in his grandmother's tone. She growled as she grabbed Haou's arm, forcing him up the stairs. Haou followed behind as everything randomly became blurry. A giggle escaped his lips as a strange feeling developed inside of him.

"Mother," a voice whispered right when she appeared upstairs. Haou smiled brightly and sent a wave at his grandfather and mother who seemed confused.

"He drank," his grandmother hissed. "He drank from that downstairs."

His grandfather's eyes widened as he stood up with a shocked expression. His mother tried to remain calm, but a regretful feeling came inside of her. After all, she had drank before at this house. She knew they only had those down there for parties and all. She also knew another thing about her mother; drinkers in her house always had to be punished no matter who they were.

"Mother, he doesn't even know what that stuff is!" his mother screamed. "He didn't know… he won't do it again."

His grandmother growled, "Drinkers shall be punished."

She turned around to Haou, who continued to giggle and hiccup. She growled as she raised her hand and brought it down on his cheek. That snapped Haou out of whatever state he was in. Instead of bringing him to reality, it just brought him into his past of his father. His father stood right in front of him with a growl.

"You little piece of shit," his father screamed at him as he began to kick his sides. Haou screamed in pain and dropped the floor, his knees close to his chest and his arms around his head. He screamed as his father began to beat him up while his mother just watched.

"Please Father," Haou screamed. "Stop! Stop!"

His father just growled and grabbed his hair. He forced him up and shoved his face in his crouch. He smirked as he lowered his pants and dropped his underwear. Haou stood face to face with his father's cock.

"Suck," his father ordered. Tears streamed down Haou's cheeks as he began to do as his father commanded.

"Haou?" a voice whispered. Haou gasped as he was suddenly brought back to reality as his mother wrapped her arms around him. Tears came down her face as both her parents stared at their daughter with shock. Haou randomly began to scream for his father to stop and curled up in a ball. Now they could easily guess why Haou had never smiled.

"N-no way," his grandmother whispered. His mother clenched her teeth as she glared at her mother. She grabbed Haou's arm and walked right out of the house without another word. She forced Haou into the car and began to drive off with her only son.

Memories flooded through Haou's mind as she drove off with a glare. Haou slowly turned around and gasped when he saw his father standing there with the same glare as before. He quickly shut his eyes tight and tried to destroy that one memory that continued to haunt him.

* * *

><p>Haou sighed as he walked through the new apartment. His mother had recently bought it two weeks after leaving her parent's house. They just lived in the car until she found a proper job that could give her money. He was supposed to start school tomorrow. He sighed as he came to a sudden halt. He slowly turned around to his mother's room. Curiosity beat his instinct to stay away as he wandered closer and closer to his mother's rom. He opened the door and his eyes widened as he took in a sight that he would never erase from his mind.<p>

His mother was lying on the bed completely naked. Her head was arched back and completely red as she began to shout out Haou's father's name. Her fingers dug themselves into her…

"Haou?" she whispered as she quickly sat up. She pulled her fingers out, and stared at him with wide eyes before a soft smile came to her lips.

"M-mom…" Haou whispered with wide golden eyes. His mother sat up and walked towards him, pulling him into an awkward hug. She buried his head into her naked breasts.

"You look so much like your father," she whispered. Haou shuddered at the words that his mother always repeated from when he was a child. His head lowered as he remembered exactly what to do. His mother smiled as Haou began to hug back with tears in his eyes.

"Please…" she whispered. "Just for me."

Haou didn't know what happened after that. Everything became such a big blur. His mother made him go on the bed and she began to kiss, touch, and rub him in places that he felt never should have been touched. She forced him to stick his member into her and thrust. He felt dirty, awful, and completely humiliated. His mother screamed in pleasure as she came and smiled at Haou.

"I love you," she whispered softly before falling asleep. Haou slowly crawled off of the bed and placed on his pants and shirt. He walked over to the fridge without a single thought in his head. He couldn't even feel his own body. He couldn't feel anything at all. He just simply began to walk to the bathroom to take a small shower because he smelled so bad.

"Mom…" he whispered softly.

* * *

><p>Haou walked into his new classroom with his uniform on. The whole class stared at him as he stared blankly back. He refused to say a word about himself, so the teacher just told the class his name and told Haou where to sit down. He sat down and glanced out the window. A blank look remained in his eyes as he stared at the sunny day.<p>

"Hi," a voice whispered from the next seat. "Nice to meet you. My name is-"

Haou turned around only to have his eyes widen. Emotion flooded into his eyes in less than a second. He wanted to run into the boys arms and hug him tightly. Jehu sat there with a bright smile on his cheeks.

"Jehu," Haou whispered softly.

Jehu blinked, "How do you know my name?"

Haou smiled softly, "It's me, Haou."

Jehu titled his head to the side, "Haou? I'm sorry, but I don't think we've ever met."

And that's when Haou's sorrow began to crash down on him.

* * *

><p>Kyle: Ouch<p>

Emily: Um… so yeah…

Kyle: R-review?

Emily: We feel dirty for writing this, but… um…

Kyle: That's all we have to say.

Emily: Next chapter: Haou completely breaks.


	4. Hurt

Kyle: This story will have around 7 to 8 chapters.

Emily: It's not the longest story I've ever written, so yeah.

Kyle: Anyway, here you go.

Emily: Warning: voices in head.

**Hurt**

Haou stared wide eyed at the boy in front of him who gave him a confused expression. He… forgot. Every time they spent together… he forgot them all. Tears appeared at the corner of Haou's eyes as he stared at his once beautiful savior. Now he just seemed like a tainted beast out to kill him. Haou pictured Jehu with an evil smirk as he slowly drove a knife past Haou's ribcage and into his heart.

"Y-you don't remember…?" Haou whispered softly as he tried to hold back the tears. Jehu flinched at the boys devastated expression and bit his lip. He tried to scan his memory for any boy with brown hair, gold eyes, and a blank expression. He barely remembered any of his childhood, and he never really bothered to try and remember. The past is the past and everyone should just move on. Haou, however, took comfort in the past. He loved the nostalgic feeling of having a friend, of having happiness. He loved that feeling. He thought he would have it again with Jehu… but clearly he was wrong.

"I'm sorry," Jehu bowed his head a bit. "Were we close?"

Haou bit his lip and began to think. They only saw each other once or twice a week for a year for only a little less than thirty minutes to an hour. Even though those times left a big impact on Haou, he couldn't blame Jehu for not remembering. He must have had millions of friends at school, and Haou must have been an acquaintance compared to those friends. Not to mention, their young age must have made it hard for the thirteen or fourteen year old to remember.

"N-not really…" Haou mumbled. "I thought we were, but… I guess we weren't. I'm sorry I bothered you."

Jehu smiled brightly, "You didn't bother me. You just startled me a bit. If we really were friends, maybe we can be friends again. Your name is Haou, right? Well, my name is Jehu Anderson. I've got a baby brother named Johan. He's only a year old. I hope we can become good friends like we once were."

A baby brother? Haou stared at him wide eyed. As a child, he learned that children came out of parents loving and caring for each other. He had no idea how they came to be, but he knew the parents had to care about each other in order to have more. His parents always seemed loving and caring. Unlike his parents who just fought and grew violence and sexual. Haou flinched at the memory.

"T-that's great," Haou faked a smile. "Your life must be great now, huh. Not that it wasn't before."

Jehu smiled, "Yeah, I love my life. What about you?"

Haou opened his mouth to say he loved his life as well, but he closed it before making a response. Did he love his life the way it was? He knew that if he had the chance, he would try to switch lives with someone else as soon as he could. It's not like he wanted to die or anything because that would… it would… What would it do?

"I wouldn't say I love it," Haou spoke up. "I don't hate it though now that you're in my life again."

Haou smiled softly at Jehu with his eyes filled with love for the other boy. Jehu nearly flinched at the expression. Just how close were these two? Jehu wondered why this kid would place so much hope and love into someone that, in Jehu's perspective, he just met today. Maybe he just had the same name and face as the Jehu Haou spoke of. The chances of that were very slim though. That leaves him with the pervious question then. How close were these two?

"O-oh…" Jehu forced a smile. "That's… great."

Haou smiled softly and nodded. He never noticed the force smile or the stutter. He just thought that Jehu accepted him in his life again. Maybe his life would turn for the best now. Maybe he would be happy again like before. That thought in his head made him feel a tint of happiness. To him, though, that tint was more happiness than he felt in six years.

Jehu, on the other hand, grew scared about this boy. He just randomly claimed he knew him, and he just expected Jehu to go along with it? What if it was some pervert trying to get in his pants? It wouldn't be the first time that happened. He just didn't like Haou. He seemed weird and the clingy type. Maybe if he just avoided this kid and pretended not to hear him, it would turn out okay.

"Yeah," Haou nodded eagerly. "It is."

* * *

><p>Haou walked down the hallway with a small smile on his face. He never smiled unless something extremely good happened which never happened. Today, however, was different. He had his best friend had finally come back into his life, and… and…<p>

"Strange," Haou whispered as he suddenly stopped walking. His eyes widened when he realized that was it. What else made his life worth living? Jehu and his mother, but after last night, Haou had no idea whether he could face his mother again. What else was there that was great in his life? He would go to school for the first time.

_So?_ A tiny voice whispered in the back of his head. Haou stopped and stared wide eyed into nothing. It had been a long while since the bell had rang, and he decided to skip class and wander in the hallways. He leaned against the wall and slide down, so he was sitting on the gray tiled floor.

"I can make friends," Haou whispered to himself.

_Who would want to befriend you? _

"Jehu does," Haou whispered.

_How do you know? _

"He asked," Haou tried to reason with the voice that sounded strangely like him. The only difference was the voice had a higher pitched voice than him. It sent shivers down his spine every time it said a word. Why was this voice here though? He never heard it before.

_He could have pitied you._

"He wouldn't have," Haou whispered. "He's not like that."

_How would you know? You've never been a real friend to him. You barely know anything about him. You don't even know his favorite color. How can you be so sure? What right do you have to call him friend?_

Tears stung Haou's eyes as he listened to the words coming from the back of his head. He slowly rose up and stood still for a while. He heard a slight buzzing in his head, but other than that, the halls were silent. All he had to do was stand there. That's when a harsh sound interrupted the silence. The bell.

Students flooded the hallways, ignoring the new student. Haou quickly wiped his eyes and scanned the ground. Blue hair wasn't that hard to find, right? He smiled softly when he found a tall blue haired boy. He quickly grabbed onto him, pulling him away from the crowd.

"Haou?" Jehu blinked.

Haou smiled softly, "Hey…"

Jehu bit his lip, "Um… what do you need?"

Haou smiled, "Let's not be friends."

Jehu's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak, but Haou spoke first.

"I realized that I barely know you, and you don't know me. There's no point for us to be friends. I'm sorry I bothered you. Please don't talk to me again."

With that, Haou quickly disappeared in the crowd of student. His eyes held sadness and despair as he walked away. Jehu's eyes widened as he remembered that expression of sadness. He's seen it somewhere before. He gasped as a sudden memory played in his mind.

_"Haou," Jehu whined. "You can't just sit there and do nothing."_

_Haou glared at him, "Why not?"_

_Jehu pouted, "Because… say how did you get that on your cheek? Did your daddy punch you again?"_

_Haou blushed and gazed down at the sandbox, "Y-yeah right. Where would you get a crazy theory like that?"_

_Jehu smiled brightly, "Because my daddy says if I get in trouble, he'll beat me up. He never has though even though I've gotten in trouble."_

_"Lucky," Haou mumbled as he continued to play with the sand between his fingers. Jehu blinked and smiled. He walked over and grabbed Haou's hand with his own. Haou blushed and flinched a bit, staring at Jehu with wide eyes._

_"I'm lucky to have you as a friend," Jehu smiled. Haou blushed and a small smile made its way to his face. For once, his expression held true happiness. Jehu smiled at it._

_"Thanks," Haou smiled. _

_"No problem," Jehu smiled back._

Jehu's eyes were wide as he suddenly remembered the moment he shared with his precious friend.

"Oh… shit," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Kyle: Oh shit indeed.<p>

Emily: Hope you liked it.

Kyle: Poor Haou and Jehu.


	5. Memories

Kyle: Every couple of chapters, there will be flashbacks to moments Jehu and Haou shared in the past.

Emily: This chapter is one of them.

Kyle: It might be short.

**Memories**

_Haou dashed towards the park as fast as his two tiny legs could take him. Rain poured down on him as tears streamed down his cheeks, mixing with the droplets of water on his cheeks. Coldness swept through him as he continued to run. Finally, he fell down onto the soft sand of the park. Of course, now it was hard because of the rain. Sand mixed into his hair as he panted. He wondered when Jehu would show up. He sat there as he waited for his best friend, and only friend, to show up. A sigh escaped his lips as rain continued to pour down onto him._

_"Let the rain pour down," Haou whispered as he sang. "Let the cold wind blow. Gonna stay right here, in the home I know. Trouble, trouble, trouble fly away (1)."_

_Haou sighed as he continued to wait for his best friend. The rain continued to pour down on him as he shivered with the ice cold wind blowing past him. He was in a blizzard of rain and wind. The sand even began to start hitting his face. He shut his eyes tight to block the sand from coming into his eyes. As he began to shiver, he hugged his knees and pulled in close, waiting for the rain to stop. After waiting, the rain began to slowly calm down._

_Where was Jehu? Haou's eyes widened at all the thoughts that could have happened to Jehu. Was he kidnapped? Hurt? Touched? What if his parents hit him like his did? His parents seemed so nice though… His parents used to be nice. He could barely remember those times though. What if a man took him though? What if he would never see Jehu again? Haou's mind raced with horrible thoughts until something broke his concentration. _

_"Haou?" a voice questioned. Haou gasped and turned around. His expression exposed relief as he stared up at Jehu, who blinked down in confusion. He wore a black rain coat and held an umbrella in his hand. His parents were nowhere to be seen. Jehu offered a huge smile and reached down with the hand that held the umbrella. Haou stared at his hand as he sat there completely paralyzed with relief and happiness. He grabbed Jehu's hand, and he hoisted himself up, but he then did something completely unexpected._

_He hugged the taller boy with all the force he had. Tears welled up in the corner of Haou's eyes as he held onto Jehu tightly. Jehu blinked and dropped the umbrella, staring at his friend with confusion. He never showed care, and he never liked to be touched, yet here Haou was hugging him. _

_"Never… never… never leave me… okay?" Haou cried. Jehu nodded and slowly placed his arms around Haou. That's when sunshine broke out of the dark clouds. Haou gasped and gaze towards the sky as the rain completely stopped. Haou broke away from the embrace and stared at the suddenly blue sky with wide eyes. He turned to Jehu and smiled brightly, something he rarely did._

_"You made this happen… didn't you?" Haou smiled._

_Jehu shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe I did make this happen."_

_Haou grabbed Jehu's hand with a huge smile as __ao u s miles back as wellHa__he continued to gaze at the sky. Jehu glanced at the sky for a second before staring at Haou's hopeful expression. He stared at the sky with shining eyes. For once, all bruises disappeared from his face. _

_"Hey… Haou," Jehu sighed. "Remember what you told me that one time? That your daddy hits your mommy? Was that true?"_

_Haou flinched and turned his gaze to Jehu, a soft smile on his face, "I don't think I can lie to you. That was true. Dad does hit Mom. He stopped though because he found a replacement."_

_"A ball you can squeeze on," Jehu smiled brightly as his eyes grew brighter. His understanding of what was legal and what wasn't was very tiny. In fact, he didn't even know hitting your wife or a child constantly was illegal. He just thought that it was mean parenting. _

_"No," Haou shook his head while smiling sadly. "I won't tell you now, but I will in the future… as long as you stay with me."_

_Jehu smiled, "Of course I would stay with you, silly! You're my best friend."_

_Haou's eyes widened, "N-no… don't you have other friends?"_

_Jehu nodded, "All of my friends are my best friends. All of my friends are precious friends. Out of all of them though you're the most important."_

_Jehu grabbed his hand and lightly squeezed on it as Haou blushed. Jehu smiled brightly at him and pulled Haou in for another hug. Haou blushed and closed his eyes as a warm feeling spread out through his body. Strange, he thought. Just a couple minutes ago, I was wet and sad. Now… I'm warm and happy. Jehu… thank you._

_Jehu smiled brightly, "We'll always be together, won't we?"_

_"Course," Haou insisted, not daring to break away from the perfect embrace. "Always… always… always… always together."_

_Jehu giggled, "Yep… always."_

_"So promise me you won't forget me or leave me," Haou whispered. "You won't ever, right?"_

_"No," Jehu shook his head. "I promise I'll always remember you."_

_Haou nodded, which Jehu felt against his chest, "You'll never be mean to me, right?"_

_"Why would I?"_

_"You'll never hurt me, right?"_

_"I couldn't."_

_"Why not?"_

_"You're too precious to hurt."_

_"… Thanks…" Haou blushed. He had never had those words spoken to him before that he could remember. Maybe his mother and his father used to whisper words of comfort and love to him at a young age, but that time had passed. Now there was no room for love. Instead only hatred existed between the three family members. The only one trying to keep them together was Haou, and the only way he could was by giving into their sadistic ways of taking out their anger or sexual needs. _

_"Here comes the sun," Jehu smiled._

_Haou smiled softly as well, "It's already been here, Jehu."_

_Jehu smiled, "I meant the sun in you. You always act so sad, but today you seem so happy. I'm glad you are though."_

_"All the credit goes to you," Haou mumbled with a blush._

_Jehu raised an eyebrow, "What?"_

_Haou blushed and glanced up at Jehu, "All the credit goes to you."_

_Jehu blinked then smiled brightly. Haou smiled as they broke from the embrace. Jehu's ears perked up when he heard his name being called. Jehu turned to see his parents walking towards the two children with smiles on their faces. Haou's eyes widened as a frown came to his face. He wanted to be alone with Jehu for once and not with his parents. _

_"Oh well," Haou smiled softly. He had his moment with Jehu. The words Jehu just told him… the very words he just uttered, Haou would never forget them. He would only take comfort in them as long as he could. That's why he loved Jehu and his family. That's why he still lived on. That's why he never ran away. If he ever ran away, Jehu could never utter such beautiful words to him._

* * *

><p>Kyle: (1) That was a song from the movie Song of the South. I used to watch it as a kid.<p>

Emily: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Song of the South.

Kyle: Sorry if it's short.

Emily: Hope you liked it.


	6. Help

Kyle: I'm sorry, but this is the last chapter of Growing up.

Emily: I thought of a perfect ending, and I decided to make it like this.

Kyle: This ending might not satisfy the people who have read this story, but I like it.

Emily: Not all problems will be solved, but I'm going to imply that they will be solved.

Kyle: Don't be mad at me! I just thought this would be the perfect ending.

**Help**

"Oh… shit," Jehu whispered as he dashed down the halls. He quickly grabbed onto Haou's arm who turned around with wide eyes. Haou couldn't believe that Jehu had actually decided to grab his arm as if he wanted to talk. Haou narrowed his eyes at Jehu, who began to pant. He stood up straight and smiled brightly.

"I remembered you just now, Haou!" he smiled brightly.

Haou narrowed his eyes, "I doubt it. You just pity me, and you want to pretend you remember me."

"You hate being called Haou-chan," Jehu claimed. "When we first met, you said your dad hits your mom then you said you lied. You… you… you always have a new bruise whenever I see you… you…"

"Don't hurt your brain," Haou joked. A smile small came to his lip making Jehu's eyes widen. He smiled brightly and pulled Haou into a hug which made Haou flinch. Jehu pulled back with an expression that held confusion before his eyes widened at a memory that came back to him. He remembered the time at the park when it was raining. After the rain stopped, Haou admitted that his dad did hit his mother, but he claimed that he found something new to beat. He came in with new bruises everyday.

"Y-you're…" Jehu whispered with wide eyes. He may not have been the smartest kid on the planet, but that didn't make him dumb. If he added up all the clues together, the answer was pretty obvious. He remembered his friend Rei reading a book on child abuse. He knew all of the signs and all of the types of abuse.

"I'm?" Haou raised an eyebrow just as the bell rang. The halls suddenly became deserted as Jehu continued to stare at Haou with wide eyes. His best friend since he was young was being abused. He would have never figured it out if Haou hadn't told him so long ago. How… how could anyone beat poor Haou?

"Abused," Jehu whispered as Haou tilted his head to the side.

"Abused?"

Jehu nodded, "Don't your parents… beat you?"

Haou shrugged, not understanding that beating children was illegal, "My dad used to, but my mom divorced him. Now we live in an apartment. My mom doesn't dare lay a finger on me… unless…"

"Unless?" Jehu raised an eyebrow. The feeling of disbelief washed over him when he realized how calmly Haou could say that his father used to beat him up. Haou sighed and glanced over to the side, wondering how he would be able to explain this without him bursting into tears.

"She… sometimes…" Haou bit his lip as he flushed with embarrassment. "Sometimes she makes me touch her in… inappropriate places, and she does the same with me sometimes. It's not that I want to or anything. She's my mom, and she always asks for it. I would say no… but I'm scared she might hate me or hit me."

"That's… that's sexual abuse!" Jehu exclaimed.

"Sexual?"

"You know, a parent makes their child do sexual things. It's considered rape," Jehu explained. Haou once again titled his head to the side.

"What's rape?"

Jehu nearly fell over at the strange question, "It's… forced sex."

"What's sex?" Haou questioned, not realizing that he actually just had it the night before even if he didn't want to. Jehu's mouth dropped as he blushed and slowly began to explain the whole process. Haou's face began to pale as Jehu began to explain the details in a very realistic way. He soon began to tremble just when Jehu finished his explanation of sex.

"Oh… oh God…" Haou whispered with wide eyes.

Jehu nodded and glanced down, "H-have you ever done something like that?"

Haou slowly glanced at the ground becoming afraid to answer. What if Jehu was mad at him? What if he hated him? He couldn't have the one person he truly loved hate him. It would crush him; it would destroy his heart. He couldn't bear to have Jehu hate him. What if… what if Jehu helped him though? What if he decided that he loved Haou no matter what and wanted to help him?

"Y-yes…" Haou whispered softly making Jehu's eyes widen.

"Oh…" Jehu whispered as he hung his head down. Haou bit his lip and forced his head down as well. Jehu stood up straight, so he looked much taller than Haou. Haou slowly glanced up to see a confident looking Jehu standing at his side.

"W-what?" Haou whispered with wide eyes.

"I'll help," Jehu told him, completely determined. Haou's eyes widened as he took a step back with a gasp. H-he didn't hate Haou? He… he wanted to help him? Haou's eyes watered as he wrapped his arms around Jehu. He began to sob into Jehu's shirt.

"I love you," Haou confessed with tears streaming down his cheeks and wetting Jehu's dark blue shirt. "I always have since we were kids. I love you. I love you. I love you."

"I love you too," Jehu whispered softly as he held Haou in his arms as Haou continued to sob into his chest. Maybe… maybe things won't be so bad since Jehu was on his side. Maybe he could fix his mother and maybe even his father. He could make up with his grandparents, and he could forget the years of abuse and torture from his family. He could live a happy life with the one he loved.

Jehu slowly tilted Haou's chin up and leaned down, capturing Haou's lip in a kiss. For the first time, Haou willingly kissed back out of love and passion. Jehu was his hero, his boyfriend, his love, and his savior. No matter what, Haou was confident that Jehu could help him. After all, they loved each other.

* * *

><p><em>"Jehu?" Haou questioned as Jehu began to dig deeper into the sandbox. Haou raised an eyebrow and glanced down only seeing sand. "What are you looking for?"<em>

_"Treasure," Jehu smiled brightly as he continued to dig. Haou blinked and glanced down, wondering if the boy was that stupid. Why would treasure be hidden in a sandbox? Haou just sighed and sat down, watching the boy as he continued to dig further and further into the sandbox until he reached the bottom. _

_"You didn't find it," Haou told him._

_Jehu smiled at him, "Yes I did. I found my treasure, and it's right here."_

_"No, you didn't," Haou argued. "There isn't anything there."_

_Jehu laughed and wrapped his arm around Haou's shoulder which made the boy flinch. Jehu took no notice as he pointed to the hole he just made in the ground._

_"See that?" he smiled. "It's my invisible treasure."_

_"Invisible treasure?" Haou blinked._

_"Yep," Jehu smiled. "It's something that can't be seen."_

_Haou sent a playful glare at Jehu, "I know what invisible means. What do you mean? How can you know it's there?"_

_"Because my friendship with you is my treasure," Jehu smiled brightly. "The bond between us can't be seen, but we can still feel it. It's there, but it can't be seen. It's invisible."_

_"Friend…ship?" Haou whispered slowly just as Jehu pressed his lips against Haou's cheek._

_"Friendship," he smiled brightly as Haou continued to blush at what Jehu just did. He stood up and began to walk away with a flushed face._

_"Where are you going?" Jehu asked._

_"Idiot," Haou blushed as his back faced Jehu. "Our bond isn't invisible because I can clearly see it, and so can the people around me. It's you who's blind."_

_Jehu blinked before smiling brightly at his friend. Their bond was far deeper compared to any other friend that Jehu had. That's why he loved Haou so much. _

* * *

><p>Kyle: Sorry if you think I ended it too soon.<p>

Emily: I just thought this was the perfect ending.

Kyle: Haou's getting help from Jehu, they admitted their love, and we have no idea if Jehu will be the hero or not!

Emily: And to top it off, I ended it with a cheesy flashback.

Kyle: Thanks for reading Growing Up.

Emily: Thanks for all the reviews.

Kyle: Love you guys!


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